Make Metro Free for the March For Our Lives
#openthegatesdc

On March 24th, hundreds of thousands of students and adults will make their way to our nation's capital to participate in the March For Our Lives. These marchers will come from all around the nation to stand with the students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

The most logical way to get to the event is via the Washington D.C. metro system. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is commonly referred to as Metro. With hundreds of thousands of riders, congestion and delays on Metro are inevitable. To help speed everything up, I propose that WMATA open Metro rail free of charge. The lines to purchase Metro cards, aka “Smart Trips”, will be very time-consuming for those trying to make it into D.C. In addition there will be many people visiting from outside the DC region who are not familiar with Metro’s new “no negative balance” rule and who will be confused when they are trying to enter/exit the Metro rail system, adding to the delays. Furthermore, the Metro rail fare gates are outdated and will lead to many passengers waiting for the gate to fully close before tapping their card, resulting in further delays.

WMATA is in the middle of its “Back2Good” campaign which followed from numerous safety issues in the Metro system. Even though Metro has worked hard to fix these issues many still remain. Delays due to track problems at one station will not only cause delays at that station, but throughout the entire rail system.

I ask that WMATA open the rails for free for the marchers to travel to and from the event. WMATA would be joining the numerous organizations that have committed to standing with students from across the nation as we fight for our safety and the safety of others.